The Saint Louis Gateway Arch looks like nothing more than a simple piece of architecture. It’s what it represents that make it so great. The Gateway Arch is located on the banks of the Mississippi and commemorates Thomas Jefferson and symolizes America’s expansion to the west.
Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen is responsible for the design of the Saint Louis Gateway Arch. Construction began on February 12, 1963, and was opened to the public on June10, 1967.
The Arch is plated with stainless steel and has an inverted catenary curve that soars 630 feet high and stretches 630 feet from end to end. A passenger train is located inside the base of the arch and climbs the wall of the arch to an observation deck. At this height one can see forever to the east and west.
The Arch was designed to withstand storms. It was made to sway in high winds, with deep concrete foundations, sinking a whopping 60 feet below the ground. The Arch weighs 38,898 tons, and is designed to sway up to nine inches as it is built to be resistant to earthquakes.
There have been several incidents over the years of passengers getting stuck in the trams. No one has been injured, but one family almost had to spend the night at the top of the Arch.
There have also been incidents of people trying stunts around the Arch. One man tried to parachute onto the top of the arch. His plan was to land and then jump off of the monument like a “base” jump and pull his reserve chute. As he landed on the top of the Arch, he lost his footing and slide down the side of the structure to his death.
The Saint Louis Gateway Arch is the tallest man-made monument in the United States.